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Gonzalez, Tulowitzki focused on same goal

Rockies stars want to get team back to playoffs

By Troy E. Renck The Denver Post

Posted:
02/25/2013 10:37:49 PM MST

Updated:
02/25/2013 10:37:52 PM MST

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Carlos Gonzalez sits roughly 10 feet away from Troy Tulowitzki in the Rockies' clubhouse at Salt River Fields. They share much in common. Both are stars, National League MVP candidates, and better when the other is playing. But their frustration over last season's debacle is much different, framed by their experiences.

One day after Tulowitzki expressed candid concerns about his future in Colorado if the team doesn't start winning -- this coming after he went so far as to clean out his locker late last season -- Gonzalez explained the differences.

"He's grown up as a Rockie. This is the only organization he's ever known. So it's harder to go through that," Gonzalez said. "To be honest, all I care about is winning. That's the No. 1 priority. We want to have success together. You know it's a business. I have been traded twice. So anything can happen. But what I want is to get us back to where we were in 2009."

Gonzalez's star shined that year, culminating with a breathtaking performance in the playoffs. He followed with a batting title in 2010, a season in which his peers voted him the game's most outstanding player in the Player's Choice awards. The Rockies put on a full-court press that winter, providing Tulowitzki with a contract extension that runs through 2020 and has $140 million remaining.

Gonzalez, who wasn't even arbitration eligible at the time, agreed to a seven-year, $80 million contract six weeks later.

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He has no regrets, despite the team having bottomed out since then.

"I signed right after Tulo. I thought that we were going to be really good. We haven't had many big money deals since then (other than the three-year, $31.5 million contract given Michael Cuddyer)," Gonzalez said. "But we have a lot of talented players who can help us. I believe we are going to get better."

The Rockies' vibe is noticeably different in camp this spring. There's an intensity that appeared lacking last spring. The embarrassment of a 98-loss season, the worst in franchise history, has left players as curious as the fans about what this year's team will look like. Gonzalez is intrigued by the lineup, which isa blend of veterans and young impact bats such as catcher Wilin Rosario and second baseman Josh Rutledge.

Having Tulowitzki back is critical. Gonzalez made his first All-Star Game last season, then tailed off dramatically in the second half, hitting .261 with just 18 extra-base hits. He walked 26 times in 203 at-bats in the second half, compared with 30 in 315 at-bats in the first half as teams pitched around him.

"I remember when we were playing at Dodger Stadium late in the season. They were a pretty good team trying to reach the playoffs. And with runners in scoring position, they walk me intentionally. I missed (the protection)," Gonzalez said. "Managers made decisions to not go after me, and then when they did I tried to do too much."

Tulowitzki has talked with Gonzalez about not using the lineup, or lack thereof, as a crutch. Gonzalez, meanwhile, has told Tulo that he needs to keep an even temperament when he's not playing, saying "he's a different person. He's in a bad mood."

Tulowitzki agreed with that comment. His disappointment, if not depression, about missing the final four months last season wore him down.

"It's something where I have to do a better job. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. And when I am not playing, I am not happy," Tulowitzki said.

The fact that they exchange bards daily is indicative of the chemistry that the pair has developed. They are nearly inseparable in drills and workouts. It's why the Rockies committed $237.5 million to them long before either reached free agency. The Rockies' business model is built around these two cinder blocks.

"Anytime guys on the team who are top players, there's no guarantee they will get along. They are jealous of each other. I can speak for myself. There's no jealousy. He's one of my closet friends on the team," Tulowitzki said. "He respects me. It's something cool that we have and never have to worry about."

Their concern is on the team. On winning. On distancing themselves from the idea that the Rockies would better without one of them.

"We live to get this team back to the playoffs. It was so fun in 2009," Gonzalez said. "Coors Field was packed. That's what I want again, to win here together. To win for the fans."

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